This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Pork stew might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of stew recipes. Classic beef stew usually steals the show, but this pork stew recipe — in the most delicious way possible — will make you rethink that assumption. If you love that rich, slow-simmered stew flavor, my classic beef stew is the perfect starting point.
Tons of fork-tender, juicy pork chunks and bacon ensure meat in every bite, and all of your favorite veggies are here in abundance. This thick, hearty pork stew recipe, together with my classic beef stew, slow cooker beef stew, Brunswick stew, and cowboy stew, will fill you up on the coldest of winter days.
💗 This stew reminds me of the kind of meal that fills the house with good smells on a Sunday afternoon — the kind that brings everyone to the table before you even call them.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
This pork stew recipe has so much going for it. Here are the best parts!
- Thick and hearty
- Lots of veggies and meat
- Lovely depth of flavor
- Makes enough for a crowd
✨ Before You Begin
✨ Choose the right pot: Use a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to help prevent scorching and promote even cooking.
✨ Brown the pork in batches: Don’t crowd the pan. Browning creates caramelized bits (fond) that make your stew richer and more flavorful.
✨ Deglaze like a pro: When you add the wine, scrape up every brown bit from the bottom — those are pure flavor gold!
✨ Don’t rush the simmer: Low and slow cooking is the secret to tender pork and beautifully melded flavors.
✨ Thickening: Our recipe creates a rich and thick stew and gravy without a cornstarch slurry. If something goes wrong and you need a thickener, start by dissolving one tablespoon of cornstarch with three tablespoons of cold water. Whisk it until smooth, then add it to the stew. Again, I want to reiterate that you’ll only need the slurry if something is forgotten or a step is missed. It’s a rescue plan!
✨ Adjust to taste: Feel free to swap veggies or add extra broth if you prefer a looser, soupier texture.
Pork Stew Ingredients
- Pork: We like to cut our own pork stew meat because it’s hard to find already cut at the supermarket. We trim the pork shoulder of all visible fat and cut it into 1-inch cubes.
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour to coat the pork before browning.
- Salt and Black Pepper: These are our most important, foundational seasonings. Nothing tastes right when the s + p is off!
- Oil: I use a neutral vegetable oil with a high smoking point.
- Bacon: I prefer to use uncured bacon.
- Onion: Use a yellow onion.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, not the stuff that comes pre-minced in a jar.
- Vegetables: We use a combo of carrots and celery to flavor the broth. You can adjust vegetable amounts and types to suit what you like or what you have in the fridge! Turnips, butternut squash, or chunks of tomato are all good ideas.
- Wine: If you don’t cook with wine, you can use an extra cup of beef broth.
- Broth: I use a low-sodium beef broth. It’s also delicious with half beef broth and half chicken broth.
- Tomato Paste: This adds a nice depth of flavor and a bit of acidity to the stew.
- Dried Herbs: We use a combo of dried thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf
- Prunes: The prunes add a mild sweetness that complements the pork beautifully. I’ve gotten many emails regarding this ingredient! People say they were unsure whether they’d like the prunes in the pork stew. They ALL say how happy they were that they added them. If you’re unsure, give them a try. I honestly think you’re going to love the flavor they add!
- Check out what reader Karen says, “Wow, this was absolutely delicious. I was skeptical about the prunes but I did add them and it was yummy, gave the stew a nice depth of flavor. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”
- Potatoes: I chose russet potatoes for this recipe because I love their creaminess. As they cook, their edges break down and thicken the stew beautifully.
- Parsnips: This is such an unsung veggie. It’s sweet and earthy tasting. Try to look for parsnips that are less than 2 inches at their largest point. As they get bigger, they start to get fibrous, which means they’re tougher. The flavor complements the pork deliciously.
Pro Tips for the Best Pork Stew
⭐ Use the right cut: Pork shoulder is ideal for stewing because its marbling breaks down beautifully during long, gentle cooking. Avoid lean cuts like tenderloin—they’ll dry out.
⭐ Deglaze thoroughly: When the wine hits the pan, scrape up every caramelized bit with a wooden spoon. This step builds the stew’s incredible flavor foundation. The key to it is to use a rigid spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan when you add the wine. Why is this important? Because those little brown bits are flavor gold! They add tremendous flavor to your dish, so don’t skip this step!
⭐ Flavor layering: Cooking the vegetables in bacon drippings, then adding tomato paste and herbs, creates a deep, complex broth that tastes like it simmered all day.
⭐ Don’t skip the prunes: They may sound unexpected, but they melt into the stew and bring subtle sweetness that makes the savory flavors sing.
⭐ Different Spices To Try: Our recipe uses dried thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Occasionally, I’ll add smoked paprika or oregano to change the flavors.
How To Make Pork Stew
- Coat the pork with flour, salt, and pepper.
- Brown the pork in batches. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon in the same pot. Set aside.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.
- Saute the vegetables until soft.
- Add wine to the pot and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
- Add beef broth, tomato paste, browned pork, bacon, and herbs. Cover and simmer. Stir in prunes, potatoes, and parsnips, and continue to simmer. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Instant Pot Pork Stew
Want that rich, slow-simmered flavor in a fraction of the time? The Instant Pot makes it happen!
-
Sauté and Brown: Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Brown the pork in batches, then remove to a plate.
-
Cook the Veggies: Add the bacon, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened.
-
Deglaze: Pour in the white wine and scrape up all those flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
-
Add Liquids and Seasonings: Stir in the beef broth, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Return the pork and bacon to the pot.
-
Pressure Cook: Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes.
-
Release Pressure: Allow a 10-minute natural release, then quick release any remaining pressure.
-
Add the Veggies + Finish: Stir in the prunes, potatoes, and parsnips. Set back to Sauté and cook for 10–12 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
-
Serve: Adjust seasonings, garnish with parsley, and serve piping hot!
Crockpot Pork Stew
Prefer a “set it and forget it” meal? The slow cooker version gives you all-day flavor with hardly any effort.
-
Brown First: In a skillet, brown the pork in batches and cook the bacon until crisp. (Don’t skip this step — it adds incredible depth of flavor.)
-
Layer in the Slow Cooker: Add the browned pork, bacon, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, beef broth, tomato paste, wine, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
-
Cook Low and Slow: Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the pork is fork-tender.
-
Add Root Veggies: Stir in prunes, potatoes, and parsnips during the last hour of cooking so they stay perfectly tender.
-
Finish + Serve: Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning, and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Does This Last In The Fridge? According to USDA guidelines, soup and stew leftovers should be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. Be sure to keep leftovers in an airtight container.
- Can You Freeze This? You can freeze this pork stew recipe, but the veggies might lose some texture after a trip through the deep freeze. To freeze, allow the stew to cool completely before putting it in a freezer container. I like to freeze leftovers in 1-gallon freezer bags and flatten them when I place them in the freezer. It makes it easier to stack up leftovers in the freezer. It should keep for 2-3 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: This stew reheats beautifully and, like most soups and stews, tastes better the next day. You can also prep a lot of the veggies and meat beforehand and then assemble and cook them when you’re ready.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
What To Serve With Pork Stew
Pork stew recipe is as good as it gets on a cold winter day. It’s a great one-pot meal. That said, I like to serve it with a hunk of warm Southern cornbread or Bisquick cornbread (if you like your cornbread sweet and cake-like), homemade crescent rolls, cathead biscuits, Lion House rolls, butter swim biscuits, or Bisquick biscuits. We also love this with our easy-peasy beer bread served with Dijon mustard on the side. It’s sure to be a family favorite!
We like this with a nice crisp salad like our KFC coleslaw, strawberry salad (with blue cheese and a lovely sherry vinaigrette), strawberry spinach salad, or 1905 salad. My husband, however, asks for his favorite Southern collard greens or Southern-style green beans with this stew. You really can’t go wrong with any of these on the side.
More Favorite Pork Recipes
- Crockpot Pork Tenderloin
- Crockpot Pork Chops
- Crockpot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Pork Chops
- Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
- Stuffed Pork Chops
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
More Delicious Stew Recipes
Tried This Recipe?
💌 Want more cozy comfort food? Subscribe to my FREE newsletter and get delicious new recipes sent straight to your inbox. 💌
If you made this Pork Stew, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and a review in the comments below — it helps our community of cooks, and it absolutely makes my day. 💕
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! ❤️ Kathleen
Pork Stew
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of visible fat, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- salt
- black pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup parsnips, peeled and diced
Garnish (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, toss the pork (2 1/2 pounds) with the flour (1/2 cup), 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to coat evenly, shaking off excess.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, over medium-high heat, in a large pot and brown pork in batches without crowding it, about 7-9 minutes. Add more oil as needed. Transfer browned meat to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove and discard pan drippings.
- Cook the bacon (4 slices) in the same pot, stirring frequently until crispy. Transfer to bowl with pork.
- Reduce heat to medium and saute onion (1), garlic (1 tablespoon), carrots (2 cups), and celery (1 cup), in bacon drippings, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Add wine (1/2 cup) to the pot, and continue to simmer, scraping up brown bits on the bottom of the pot until the liquid is almost evaporated.
- Add beef broth (4 cups), tomato paste (2 tablespoons), browned pork, bacon, thyme (1 teaspoon), rosemary (1/2 teaspoon), bay leaves (2), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
- Stir in prunes (1/2 cup), potatoes (2), and parsnips (1 cup) then cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If you'd like the stew thinner, add more beef broth or water to achieve desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into individual bowls, garnish with parsley (2-3 tablespoons) and serve.
Notes
- The pot- you’ll want a large pot with a heavy bottom to prevent burning. Thin-bottomed pans are notorious for hot spots that can burn your stew.
- Deglazing the pan- deglazing pulls off all the little bits of meat and veggies (called the fond) that stuck to the bottom of the pan. The key to it is to use a rigid spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan when you add the wine. As soon as the liquid hits the pan, start scraping and stirring until the bottom is free of any stuck bits.
- Why is this important? Because those little brown bits are flavor gold! They add tremendous flavor to your dish, so don’t skip this step!
- Bacon drippings- Sautéing the veggies in bacon drippings adds lots of flavors. There should be a tablespoon of drippings from the bacon. If you find you have excess bacon grease, drain some before adding the veggies. If you don’t want to use it at all, I suggest olive or vegetable oil instead.
- The Veggies – You can adjust vegetable amounts and types to suit what you like or what you have in the fridge! Turnips, butternut squash, or chunks of tomato are all good ideas.
Nutrition
Delicious, thank you!
So happy you like this stew! Thanks for taking the time to comment and leaving a 5-star review!!!
Making this for a second time since parsnips were not available and still not available I’m using radishes. I do this often when needing parsnips or turnips
Thanks for sharing the only thing g we did different doubled veggies and adding radishes again
So happy you enjoyed the pork stew, Christina. Thanks so much for the 5 star rating!!
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow and fabulous flavors. Prep time was definitely longer than 15min, for me anyways, but totally worth it. I cut up the prunes and served them on the side for those who wanted them and I thought they were a nice addition, kind of like adding pineapple bits to chili, yummy 😋 Thank you, this ones a keeper.
Yaaay! That’s fantastic. I’m glad you like this stew 🙂
Thanks for the positive review 🙂
Superb! I added mushroom just because I had them. I didn’t have prunes but I had raisins. In they went! Had no white wine but had red. Omg! This came out so good!
Hi Daphne! Yaaay, I’m so happy you like this stew! You’re version is awesome. Thank you so much!
Rich and deeply flavorful. I used leftover roasted Boston Butt, trimmed of almost all fat. Made a bouquet of fresh thyme and cilantro. Used a little high end red wine vinegar in lieu of the white wine to deglaze. Otherwise, followed the recipe exactly. Really delicious winter time dinner.
Wow, that’s amazing, Chuck! I like the wine that you used 🙂 Thanks for the positive review and keep warm!
Can I use cheap cut of a pork loin roast? Not the long loins but a big chunk.
Hi, Betsy. I think that’ll work 🙂
I would like to try the pork stew. I’ll be feeding 140. I did not see with this recipe how much pork needed nor how many serving it will serve. I may have over looked what is needed. Your suggestions on quantities for 140, please.
Thanks, John
Hi, John. This stew needs 2 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder and serves 6-8 portions. For 140 servings, you need 44 pounds (if calculating for 8 servings) and or 58 pounds (if calculating for 6 servings).
This conversion below is calculated for 140 servings. Referring to 6 servings originally:
Pork Stew
Serves: 140
Resized
Ingredients
58.333 Pounds Pork Shoulder
35 Pounds All-Purpose Flour
2 3/4 Cups, 2 Tablespoons, 2 Teaspoons Oil
93 1/3 Each Bacon
23 1/3 Each Onion
1 1/3 Cups, 2 Tablespoons Garlic
2 Gallons, 3 Quarts, 1 Pint, 2/3 Cups Carrots
1 Gallon, 1 Quart, 1 Pints, 1 1/3 Cups Celery
2 Gallons, 1 Pint, 1 Cup White Wine
5 Gallons, 3 Quarts, 1 1/3 Cups Beef Broth
2 3/4 Cups, 2 Tablespoons, 2 Teaspoons Tomato Paste
1/3 Cup, 2 Tablespoons, 1 3/8 Teaspoons Dried Thyme Leaves
0.667 Cups, 1 Tablespoon Dried Rosemary Leaves
46 2/3 Each Bay Leaves
2 Gallons, 1 Pint, 1 Cup Pitted Prunes
46 2/3 Each Russet Potatoes
1 Gallon, 1 Quart, 1 Pint, 1 1/3 Cups Parsnips
One of the best stews I’ve ever eaten, and that says a lot since I’ve made countless over the years (French, Central European, American, Irish…) A while back, I made a similar stew with beef instead of pork, also including prunes. That was a huge hit, but my husband and I agreed that this pork version is even better. I only made very minor adjustments. I’m sure made exactly as written would be great, as well. Today is a very snowy day, so stew was a perfect choice. I even went outside in high boots and dug through the deep snow for fresh rosemary, for it. I finished making it at 5 pm and couldn’t wait, so we had an early supper.
Wow, Elaine, that’s amazing! I’m so happy you like this stew so much 🙂
It’s really perfect on a cold day, right?
Thank you so much for the feedback!
Wow! It was a LOT of prep but this stew is off the chain! Trimming the meat took longer than I thought, chopping the veggies took a while… but once it was done I realized it was worth the work! The thickness is perfect. Depth of flavor amazing. Adding to favorites!
Only change: omitted parsnips
Hi, Carolyn! Thank you for your positive feedback, I’m so happy you like this stew 🙂
This. STEW tho!!! I’m currently eating it, and it is a massive hit with my family. I made pork bone broth yesterday and wanted a good hearty stew to use it with. Not disappointed!! It’s fabulous!!
Hi, Carly! Yaaay, so happy it was a hit! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback 🙂
Would pork loin be suitable to use instead of pork shoulder meat in this stew? I have a little over two lbs. of pork loin I’m trying to find a way to use besides doing boneless chops, which we’re tired of. This stew look so good,I’d like to make it.
Hi, Vicki! I think that will work well! Enjoy this stew 🙂
My guess…..I cut the potatoes too small and yes cooked too long. Making it again NOW s we will see! Lol
I wish you luck! And enjoy 🙂
Amazing! We’re keto so I left out the wine and tomato paste. It was outstanding and our family’s new favorite stew!
Hi Jennifer. I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed! Great Keto tweaks for Keto!
My family LOVES this stew. A few times it seems to “mush” together too much. Any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong? I know it’s stew, not soup, but tonight was very soft and mushy.
Hey Brandon! Do you think you might have cooked it a bit longer when it was mushy?
Hi Brandon, I don’t want to piggyback here but since you were asking for help with why your stew got mushy, I want to give you a little advice and my version of the pork stew; I hope you will like it. I’m Hungarian so I make pork stew very often and my family loves it. In a large pot add cubed pork, broth and all the seasonings including 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder and cook covered for 10 minutes. In a large pan sauté vegetables and bacon for 3 minutes. Add in wine, stir well and set aside. Check the pork and if you feel it’s about half way cooked then add veggie / bacon / wine mixture to the pot with the pork. Add a little water to the pan and swish it around and add to the soup. (You don’t want to leave all the good flavors in the pan). Cover and cook everything together until vegetables are tender, about 25 – 30 minutes. If you have parsley or cilantro, or carrot leaves (yes, carrot leaves, they are extremely nutritious and healthy) add 2 tbsp. and then add cubed potatoes. Make sure potatoes are large cubes because by the time they are done and everything cooked; potatoes will be much smaller. Taste and add more seasonings as you like, and if you like it spicier just add a pinch of crushed peppers or just cayenne pepper. Add a little bit at the time, you can add more as needed (taste twice, season once). Now make the roux: in a small pan add and heat 3 tbsp. vegetable oil, add in 2 tbsp. flour and mix well. Take off the heat, add 1 tsp. paprika and 1 tsp. chili powder; mix well. Add about 1 1/2 – 2 cup of cold water and with a whisk quickly mix until you get a smooth not too thick but runnier roux (warm water make your roux lumpy). Add a little more water if needed! Turn the heat down to low and add roux to the pot with meat and veggies and mix well so it doesn’t get lumpy. Simmer just for 2 – 3 minutes on low heat, stir it a few times and you are done. The roux should thicken the stew not too thick, but if in case it is, just stir in a little more water. Hope this helps.
I admit I was hesitant about the prunes but they add such a subtle sweetness that goes great with pork (much like apples always do) – perfect for the slow cooker since mine has a sauté option so it was truly one pot!
This receipe was sooooo delicious. I made it for my family, they had second helpings even the grandchildren. Everyone gave a high score. I added raisins like the lady said instead of prunes because I did not have any.. I definitely will make this again. Thanks for such a lovely receipe.
Thank you so much for your positive review, Judy! I’m glad you liked this 🙂
Turned out very good. I used crown royal instead of white wine and some Cajun Louisiana seasoning. It came out beautifully and taste bids danced. Thank you
Sounds great Gregory!!!
Big hit with my family. I used tenderloin instead of shoulder and sherry for my white wine. Skipped the parsnips because I couldn’t find any in January in Minnesota. Go figure. Still delicious 😋. I’ll definitely be making this one again. Thank you.
Thanks, Jeff! I’m glad it was a hit! 🙂
Amazing! I left out the prunes and only did one 45 minute cook time. The pork came out super moist and just fell apart.
Wow, that’s awesome. Thank you so much, Markita! 🙂
This is absolutely one of my families favorite stews. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made it. The best part is that if you follow the instructions exactly (full disclosure I use raisins instead of prunes) it’s delicious. And if you assume you have all the ingredients and discover you don’t only after you get back from the grocery store, you guessed it, still delicious!
I discovered I had no bacon, only chicken broth, no potatoes and only fresh rosemary, but I had just gotten back from the store where I waited a good 35 minutes to check out. I wasn’t going back. So I figured I’d give cooking the veggies in the pork drippings, using chicken broth and fresh rosemary a try. Then I was so flustered by the turn of events, I put the pork in my Dutch oven without tossing it in flour first so I added a few tablespoons of flour to the veggies ala beef stew. Of course the flour sucked all the wine up at which point I was even more flustered and promptly put in a tablespoon of Thyme instead of a teaspoon. Then I pretend everything was fine, served it over left over mashed potatoes to make up for the lack of potatoes in the stew. Final result, I messed up pretty much everything and everyone still had seconds (and in some cases thirds). This recipe is magic and if you haven’t made it yet, you are missing out!
Wow, Amaya! That made me hungry and craved for this stew! Thank you so much for sharing and your positive feedback! <3 🙂
Took your idea for the raisins since I had some, but no prunes. Pork seems to like a touch of sweetness. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Hi Kathleen – this is such a great stew. Made 2 changes – nix on the prunes and I cooked it in my slow cooker on low for 7 hours. OMG – it is so good. I also used pinot noir that you suggested to another reviewer. Thanks for posting this. Since there is only me and I made the full recipe, I now have 6 bags frozen to reheat and eat later. Thanks again.
Hi Kathi! So glad to hear you enjoyed this stew!
Thanks for the slow cooker suggestion, I was wondering how that would work.
I’m sorta new at this. Gonna try this today.